1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage device which can exchange a recording medium and a recording medium cartridge used in a personal computer, a portable information terminal and so forth.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 82 shows a fragmentarily sectional perspective view of a storage device which can exchange the recording medium. The storage device is a conventional flexible disk drive (FDD) disclosed in a Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 06-119699. Specifically, FIG. 82 shows a 3.5 inch FDD. A recording medium cartridge is composed of a hard case with a shutter wherein the recording medium is contained. FIG. 83 shows a fragmentarily transverse cross section of the FDD.
In the figure, an FDD body 1, a read/write head 2, a carriage 3 for holding the read/write head 2 are provided. A head arm 4 for holding the read/write head 2 is connected with the carriage 3. A frame 10 has a fitting part 11 for mounting an external dedicated slot 80. The frame 10 has a guide groove 12. A cover (shield) 13 and a circuit board 14 are mounted on the frame 10. A cartridge holder 15 has cam followers 16 and a shutter opener 17. A slide cam 20 which has a cam groove 21 and an eject button 22 is engaged with an eject lever 23. The cam groove 21 and the guide groove 12 of the frame 10 are engaged with the cam followers 16.
The recording medium cartridge 30 has a recording medium 31 and a cartridge case 32. The recording medium 31 is held by a hub 33 and the cartridge case 32 has a shutter 34 and a window 35. A recording medium drive actuator 40 rotates the recording medium 31 and has a circuit board 14, a rotor 42, a drive pin 43, a chucking magnet 44, a bearing 46 and a spindle shaft 48.
The cartridge case 32 has a write protection hole 32c not to erase the data once recorded in the recording medium 31. The cartridge case 32 has a slide member 36 made of plastic, so that a write protection is presented when the write protection hole 32c is opened by the slide member 36 and the data can be written when the write protection hole 32c is closed by the slide member 36. The circuit board 14 has a disk-in switch 37 for detecting that the recording medium 31 is set at a read/write position. The circuit board 14 has a write protect switch 38 for detecting the write protection of the recording medium 31.
A contacting point 38a at the top of the write protect switch 38 is pushed into the write protect switch 38 by the slide member 36 so that the information can be written on. On the other hand, in case of the write protection, the contacting point 38a is free.
The disk-in switch 37 has the same form with the write protect switch 38, or the disk-in switch 37 is integrated with the write protect switch 38. When the recording medium cartridge 30 is set at the read/write position, in a load state, a contacting point 37a at the top of the disk-in switch 37 is pushed down by the cartridge case 32. On the other hand, when the recording medium 31 is not possible to read/write, in an unload state, the contacting point 37a is free.
The operation is explained with reference to the figures.
At first, a transition from the unload state where it is not possible to read/write from/on the recording medium 31 to the load state where it is possible to read/write from/on the recording medium 31 is explained hereinafter.
When the recording medium cartridge 30 is inserted into the FDD body 1, the recording medium cartridge 30 is held in the cartridge holder 15 being pushed up by the cam groove 21 of the slide cam 20 and the cam follower 16. Then, the recording medium cartridge 30 is further inserted, keeping a height over a top of the spindle shaft 48 which is located at the center of the recording medium drive actuator 40. When the center of the recording medium cartridge 30 comes close to the spindle shaft 48, the shutter 34 is opened by the shutter opener 17. Then, the eject lever 23 is rotated and a latch of the slide cam 20 is released and the cartridge holder 15 is lowered by the cam groove 21. When the recording medium cartridge 30 is lowered to a fixed position, two holes 33a and 33b formed at the hub 33 holding the recording medium 31 are engaged with each of the spindle shaft 48 and the drive pin 43. Then, the position setting of the recording medium 31 is performed by rotating the rotor 42.
A hole 33a engaged with the spindle shaft 48 is a square and a hole 33b engaged with the drive pin 43 has line sides slanted to the direction of radius and the eccentric force is generated in the direction of the radius against the hub 33 by the rotation of the drive pin 43.
Accordingly, the gap between a side of the hole 33a and a side of the spindle shaft 48 occurring in the hole 33a engaged with the spindle shaft 48 is removed. The hub 33 is composed of a magnetic material and chucked by the chucking magnet 44 provided in the recording medium drive actuator 40. After that, the read/write head 2 supported by the carriage 3 is moved to the recording surface of the recording medium 31. Then, the read/write operation is enabled for the recording medium 31 and the transition to the load state is completed.
Next, a transition from the load state to the unload state of the recording medium cartridge 30 is explained hereinafter.
By pressing the eject button 22 to a fixed position, the cartridge holder 15 is raised along the cam groove 21. When the recording medium cartridge 30 and the raised cartridge holder 15 reach to the position which can move over the top of the spindle shaft 48, the engagement with the shutter 34 and the shutter opener 17 is released and the shutter 34 is closed. The shutter opener 17 and the eject lever 23 eject the recording medium cartridge 30. The slide cam 20 is located by the eject lever 23. The cartridge holder 15 is restrained from lowering by the latch of the slide cam 20 and the eject lever 23. Then, the recording medium cartridge 30 assumes the unload state.
Further, FIGS. 84, 85, 86A, 86B and 87 show an FDD and a recording medium cartridge shown in the other related art (Japanese patent application No. Hei 07-302797, which is not laid open yet at the filing date of this application to Japanese Patent office). FIG. 84 shows a whole configuration of the FDD, the recording medium cartridge to be inserted into the FDD and a slot for mounting the FDD to the portable information terminal and so forth. FIG. 85 shows a sectional side view of the FDD when the recording medium cartridge is inserted into the FDD and is in the load state.
FIG. 86A is a partially broken plane view showing a state where the recording medium cartridge 30 is mounted on the FDD. FIG. 86B shows a cross sectional view taken on line I--I of FIG. 86A from the direction of the arrows. FIG. 87 is a perspective view showing the latch function of the recording medium cartridge 30.
In FIGS. 84-87, an FDD body 1, a read/write head 101, a carriage 102, a frame 110, a slot guide 111 and a cover (shield) 113 are provided.
Three convexities 314 are formed at the positions with equally divided angular on a hub 303. Three concavities 157 are formed on the spindle part 155 of the rotor and engaged with the convexities 314 with some allowance.
A recording medium drive actuator 140 has a rotor 150. The rotor 150 has a chucking magnet 154, which is a means for mounting the hub 303, and a spindle part 155, which is a means for setting the position of the recording medium. At the center of the spindle part 155, a centering ball 158 and a return spring (gimbal spring) 159 as a means for returning and pushing back the centering ball. A bearing 170 holds the spindle part 155 rotatably on the frame 110. Additionally, an insertion/ejection slot 180 of the recording medium cartridge 30 and an interface connector 181 according to a PCMCIA type 2 standard are provided. Grooves 182 and 183 are provided for preventing erroneous insertion of the FDD body 1 into the slot.
A slot 200 is a slot of PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card Association) type 2 standard mounted on the information processing unit such as a portable information terminal. The slot 200 has an eject button 222 to eject the FDD body 1 and an insertion slot 280.
In general, this kind of memory card is also called PC card. PCMICA, which is an association for standardization of the extended IC (Integrated Circuit) card in the United States, determines the specification of the memory card. The width of the card according to the PCMICA is 54.0 mm for all types and the thicknesses are as follows.
Type 1: thickness 3.3 mm PA1 Type 2: thickness 5.0 mm PA1 Type 3: thickness 10.5 mm PA1 a frame for holding a recording medium cartridge containing the recording medium; PA1 an insertion/ejection means for inserting/ejecting the recording medium cartridge into/from the frame; PA1 a recording medium drive actuator, provided on the frame and for rotating and driving the recording medium, PA1 wherein the recording medium cartridge has PA1 the recording medium cartridge has PA1 a frame for holding the recording medium cartridge containing the recording medium; PA1 an insertion/ejection means for inserting/ejecting the recording medium cartridge into/from the frame; and PA1 a position setting means for mounting the inserted recording medium cartridge at a fixed place, wherein PA1 the recording medium cartridge has: PA1 a cylindrical shaft, which is placed at a center of rotation of the recording medium; and PA1 a drive pin, which is contacted with an outer circumference of the cylindrical shaft, for rotating the recording medium. PA1 a hub for forming a position setting hole and for supporting the recording medium; PA1 a restriction member provided at almost center of the recording medium cartridge; PA1 a slide member provided in the hub, PA1 wherein a moving range of the slide member is restricted by the restriction member, and, PA1 wherein the slide member PA1 a case member having a window for exposing the recording medium to the recording medium cartridge; PA1 a shutter for opening/closing the window; PA1 a slider, mounted on the side of the case member of the recording medium cartridge for moving in an inserting/ejecting direction of the recording medium cartridge; PA1 a connecting band for connecting the slider and the shutter; PA1 a return spring for pressing the shutter in a closing direction of the window and for returning the shutter to a closed state. PA1 a sloped part formed at a corner of insertion side of the recording medium cartridge; and PA1 a notch on the same side of the recording medium cartridge where the sloped part is formed. PA1 a case member having a window for exposing the recording medium to the recording medium cartridge; PA1 a shutter for opening/closing the window and having a shutter open tongue for opening the shutter; PA1 an open slider mounted on the side of the case member of the recording medium cartridge, for moving in an inserting/ejecting direction of the recording medium cartridge; PA1 a U-shaped holder, mounted on a side of the case member of the recording medium cartridge, for moving in an opening/closing direction of the shutter; and, PA1 a connecting band for connecting the open slider and the U-shaped holder; PA1 and wherein the U-shaped holder releases engagement with the shutter open tongue when only the shutter is moved in the opening direction; and PA1 wherein the U-shaped holder engages with the shutter open tongue of the shutter in case of movement of the open slider so that the shutter is opened. PA1 a hub for holding the recording medium; PA1 a position setting hole provided in the center of the hub; PA1 a driving hole having a slanted line side continuously formed from the position setting hole and an opposite line side formed almost in parallel with the slanted line side. PA1 a hub for holding a position setting hole and for supporting the recording medium; PA1 a restriction member provided at almost center of the recording medium cartridge; PA1 a slide member provided in the hub, wherein a moving range of the slide member is restricted by the restriction member; and wherein PA1 a cartridge groove for preventing the recording medium cartridge from being thrown out in case of ejection of the recording medium cartridge.
A recording medium 301 is contained in the recording medium cartridge 30. A cartridge case 302 is composed of an upper shell 302a and a lower shell 302b. A shutter 304, a window 305, a connecting band 306, a slider 307 are provided. The one end of the connecting band 306 is connected with the shutter 304. The other end is connected with the slider 307. A restriction member 390 is provided and a taper 391 is mounted on the hub 303.
At first, a transition from the unload state where it is not possible to read/write from/on the recording medium 301 to the load state where it is possible to read/write from/on the recording medium 301 is explained hereinafter.
The FDD body 1 has the cover 113 fixed on the frame 110 which is integrated with the interface connector 181. The recording medium cartridge 30 is inserted into the FDD body from the insertion/ejection slot 180. When the recording medium cartridge 30 is inserted into the FDD body 1, the recording medium cartridge 30 is moved with the same height in the inserting direction from the insertion/ejection slot 180.
When the recording medium cartridge 30 is inserted, the end of the recording medium cartridge 30 contacts the centering ball 158 being located at the center of the spindle part 155. The recording medium cartridge 30 pushes down the centering ball 158 which has been pushed up toward the recording medium cartridge 30. Therefore, the recording medium cartridge 30 can be inserted further. After the shutter 304 passes over the centering ball 158, the opener lever 121 mounted on the side wall of the insertion/ejection slot 180 is engaged with the slider 307 and the shutter 304 is slid. Then, the window 305 is opened and the recording medium 301 is exposed for access to the read/write head 101.
When the recording medium cartridge 30 is further inserted, the insertion of the recording medium cartridge 30 is almost completed. At this time, a hole part 313 of the hub 303 comes to the position of centering ball 158. The centering ball 158 is pushed up by the return spring 159 and engages with the hole part 313. As a result, the recording medium 301 is placed at the center. Next, the spindle part 155 rotates and the convexities 314 and the concavities 157 are engaged. Since the hub 303 is made of magnetic material, when the chucking magnet 154 and the hub 303 are stuck together, the magnetic force by the chucking magnet 154 is strengthened. The centering of the recording medium 301 is precisely performed and the transition to the load state is completed by the chucking.
FIGS. 86A and 86B show a movable member 310 for recognizing a write protection state for not erasing the data once written in the recording medium 301. The member 310 is formed with a forked conductive metal piece 311 by integral molding. The conductive metal piece 311 is made of an elastic member such as a plate spring. The lower shell 302b fixes two conductive metal plates 312a and 312b separately by integral molding. Surfaces of the conductive metal plates 312a and 312b are exposed from the bottom of the lower shell 302b.
A contact terminal 115a (not illustrated) is provided under the conductive metal plate 312a. A contact terminal 115b is provided under the conductive metal plate 312b. The contact terminals 114a and 115b function as a write protect switch for recognizing the write protection state. Each of the contact terminals 115a and 115b is made of a plate spring of conductive metal. Each of the contact terminals 115a and 115b is fixed separately in the switch holder 116 which is made of an unconductive body of plastic or the like. The switch holder 116 is fixed on the frame 110. The contact terminals 115a and 115b are placed at locations where two of the conductive metal plates 312a and 312b exposed from the lower shell 302 contact respectively to the contact terminals 115a and 115b when the recording medium cartridge 30 is inserted into the FDD body 1 and positioned in the load state. A member 302c is mounted on the cartridge case 302 of the recording medium cartridge 30 so as to keep the position of the movable member 310.
Next, an operation of the write protect switch will be explained.
FIG. 86A shows a state where two portions 311a and 311b of the conductive metal piece 311 respectively contact the conductive metal plates 312a and 312b. Though it is not shown in the FIG. 86A, by sliding the movable member 310, it is possible to create a state where the portion 311a of the conductive metal piece 311 on the movable member 310 contacts only with the conductive metal plate 312b fixed on the lower shell 302b.
When the recording medium cartridge 30 is set in the FDD body 1 and in the load state where the read/write operation is possible, the contact terminals 115a and 115b of the write protect switch on the FDD body 1 respectively contact with the conductive metal plates 312a and 312b fixed on the lower shell 302b. When the conductive metal piece 311 contacts only with the conductive metal plate 312b, the contact terminals 115a and 115b connected with circuit on a circuit board (not shown in the figures) are not conducted. On the other hand, when the conductive metal piece 311 contacts with both of the conductive metal plates 312a and 312b, the contact terminals 115a and 115b are connected in a conductive state. The circuit on the circuit board determines whether write protection is performed or not by detecting the conductive state.
In FIGS. 86A and 87, a latch lever 410 is provided as a position setting member, to keep the recording medium cartridge 30 in the load state where the read/write operation is possible from/in the FDD body 1. The latch lever 410 is composed of a cylinder shaped stopper 410a and a U-shaped hooklike spring 410b. The hooklike spring 410b is stored below a surface 110s of the frame 110 and in a concavity 110p of the frame 110. When the recording medium cartridge 30 is loaded in the FDD body 1, the hooklike spring 410b is hidden under the recording medium cartridge 30.
An eject shaft 400 has a notch 403f for retracting the stopper 410a therein in the unload state. The notch 403f is provided so that the side of the stopper 410a of the latch lever 410 is contacted with the notch 403f. The stopper 410a is pushed by the hooklike spring 410b so that the stopper 410a always contacts the notch 403f.
On a side of the recording medium cartridge 30, a semicircular stopper notch 300a is provided. When the recording medium cartridge 30 is completely inserted into the FDD body 1, the side of the stopper 410a is engaged with the stopper notch 300a of the recording medium cartridge 30.
Thus, the latch lever 410 is engaged with the stopper notch 300a of the recording medium cartridge 30. Then, the latch lever 410 performs the position setting of the recording medium cartridge 30 in the inserting direction and the perpendicular to the inserting direction.
When the eject button 403 is pressed and the recording medium cartridge 30 is ejected, the stopper 410a of the latch lever 410 is removed from the stopper notch 300a by the pressure of the hooklike spring 410b and retracted to the notch 403f. Then, the recording medium cartridge 30 can be ejected.
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
Recently, as a storage device used in a portable information terminal, an IC memory card which is small and portable is often used. But, the IC card has the following problems.
(1) The recording medium in the IC memory card is the IC memory. Since the IC memory is not possible to exchange, the IC memory card itself needs to be exchanged.
(2) Since the price of the IC memory itself is expensive, the price of the IC memory card is also expensive.
(3) According to the above (1) and (2), cost is high when the IC memory card is used to exchange the recording medium.
There is an effort which makes the recording medium cartridge in lower price, easy to exchange, smaller and thinner to be a substitution of the IC memory card. However, in order to realize such recording medium cartridge, the FDD should correspond to the size applicable to the PCMCIA type 2 standard (thickness 5.0 mm and width 54.0 mm). The FDD should be manufactured to be fitted to the size of the slot wherein the card of the PCMCIA type 2 standard could be inserted. There are following problems for manufacturing such FDD.
(1) When the recording medium cartridge is inserted into the FDD, there is a point of the recording medium cartridge where the read/write head 2 must pass over. Therefore, the head arm 4 has to move up and down greatly. Accordingly, a thickness of the FDD body 1 becomes a total of a thickness of the recording medium cartridge 30, a thickness of the read/write head 2, a thickness of the head arm 4 and a thickness of the carriage 3. Therefore, it is difficult to make the FDD thinner.
(2) In the chucking structure for the recording medium (disk) 31, the hub 33 is engaged with the spindle shaft 48 and the drive pin 43. When the recording medium cartridge 30 is loaded or unloaded, the recording medium cartridge 30 should be moved up and down more than the length of engagement of the hub 33 with the spindle shaft to 48 and the drive pin 43. Accordingly, a place for up/down movement should be secured. Therefore, it is difficult to make the FDD thinner.
(3) The conventional FDD and the recording medium cartridge 30 needs a height at which each of the contacting points 37a and 38a of the disk in switch and the write protect switch 38 moves up and down. Therefore, it is difficult to make the FDD or the recording medium cartridge thinner.
(4) In the conventional FDD and the recording medium cartridge 30, the position setting of the hub 303 holding the recording medium 301 is performed by the ball 158 mounted retractably at the center of the spindle part 155 of the recording medium drive actuator 140. A thinner FDD can be realized adapting the ball 158. However, precise position setting of the hub 303 holding the recording medium 301 is depends on a diameter of the centering ball, return force of the return spring 159 and magnetic force of the chucking magnet 154. Therefore, it is difficult to achieve the precise position setting.
Further, since the write protect switch recognizes the write prohibition state by detecting the place of the member 310 fixing the conductive metal piece 311 which contacts two conductive metal plates 312a and 312b, the structure is complicated.